


Setting The Table

by Rosencrantz



Category: Beauty and the Beast (1991)
Genre: Birthday Party, Gen, Pre-Movie, time as furniture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2019-09-20
Packaged: 2020-10-24 22:57:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,308
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20713931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosencrantz/pseuds/Rosencrantz
Summary: It's a wintery spring, the sun is shining, and Beast is turning fifteen. As if being a teenager wasn't bad enough, he's still a Beast.





	Setting The Table

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lovelyflowersinherhair](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovelyflowersinherhair/gifts).

> Thank you to Violet for the beta!
> 
> Canon notes: I followed the theory that Beast was a child when he was transformed, Chip's many siblings comes from a song he sings in extended canon, and I took the name of the coat rack (Chapeau) from the live action so I wouldn't have to call the poor guy Coat Rack.

It was a beautiful late winter's day in the French countryside. The ground was shining white and tree branches dipped from their weight of fallen snow. And soon it would be the Prince's fifteenth birthday.

Lumiere, naturally, wanted to make it special. Cogsworth had harumphed off early on, with a grand declaration that their whole life situation right now was 'special enough, thank you!'. But Lumiere had a heart as warm as his flame, and maybe a party would bring the castle out of its funk as they entered yet another year of being more decoration than function.

He was hard-pressed to find allies. The staff thought it either a foolish idea, or undeserved kindness.

"_Mes dieux,_" said Lumiere, hopping along the hallway of the now decrepit estate, "does no one enjoy a little party these days?"

"I like parties, Mr. Lumiere," said a small voice. 

Lumiere looked down and saw a piece of broken pottery. "Ah! Chip, my little friend! Well, at least someone does! I'm planning a birthday party." 

The little teacup smiled up at Lumiere. "I keep getting to celebrate my fifth! An' my brothers and sisters keep--"

Lumiere listened politely as Chip listed the ages of all eleven of his brothers and sisters, making noises at the appropriate intervals. . An idea was growing in his head. Someone certainly had a lot of experience with birthdays in this castle, and had even been going through - from an outside perspective - adolescence repeatedly.

"Let's go see _ta mère_, hm?" said Lumiere. "I have a proposal for her."

"Mr. Lumiere, you're not her type," giggled Chip.

"Probably not! But nonetheless!" 

***

"I'm not sure, Lumiere," said Mrs. Potts, as she supervised the dishwashing. "I'm not sure the Prince _wants_ a birthday party. It's not exactly a happy situation we're in."

"Madame! Everyone needs a bit of lightening up! Look at how drab and sad the castle has been since the incident! _Non_, really, I believe he must be given a reason to smile."

"It'll just remind him he's one year closer to being a beast forever," said one of the teacups from the sink. "And guess what it'll remind the rest of us!"

"Elisabeth, you mind your manners," said Mrs. Potts. "But she has a point, dear. Chip, I see you over there. Get in the water now. Chop chop."

"Mama!"

"Now, dear! Don't make me come over there!"

Lumiere put his candles together in a pleading gesture as Chip splashed into the sink behind him. "Madam, I am begging you. I cannot do this alone. I am just one candelabra. One man. But we cannot all fall into despair, because then what do we have? Nothing at all."

Mrs. Potts looked at her children, then sighed. "Oh, very _well_. We'll make it a group project. But I can't promise you the Prince will like it."

"With you on my side, Madame,” declared Lumiere, “this will be brilliant!" 

***

"Do not look at me like that, Chapeau," said Lumiere. "I'm _not_ losing my touch! It is just a different matter planning a party for a teenager as a maitre d' than for his _père_, you know? For instance, I do not have to hire any courtesans."

Chapeau the Coat Rack jerked back dumping a load of decorations on Lumiere.

"Just for good conversation! I swear!" said Lumiere, quickly patting out the small fires. "Of course, now that we mention it, I suppose I could now. Perhaps it would solve our curse sooner! Bring _les filles_ to us!"

Chapeau bent disapprovingly.

"...perhaps not?" said Lumiere.

Coat Rack pointedly ignored Lumiere as he regathered the crepe paper streamers, now burnt in spots, and resumed hanging them. 

Mrs. Potts rode in on Sultan, Chip joining her.

"I see decorating is going well, dear!" she said, as Sultan did his customary race in a circle around Lumiere.

"Oui, oui. Chapeau here has been a great help with his… you know… arms," said Lumiere.

"Mama, why is the streamer covered in little black spots?" asked Chip.

"That is not important," said Lumiere. "What is important is that you are here now to help me decide on party games!" 

Chip squealed and hopped down.

"Oh yes, so I asked the children what sort of games they enjoyed back when they had legs," said Mrs. Potts, coming down more gracefully as Sultan knelt for her to dismount, "and it seems our smartest and easiest option is escargot. All the card games are right out. As is anything that requires a ball, not since the grounds staff was turned into the sports equipment. Escargot can be adapted to our needs so that's what it'll be!"

Chip bounced excitedly. "I'm really good at escargot! That's how I got my chip!"

At this conflation of 'good' and 'broken tooth', Lumiere gave Chip a dubious look.

"It'll give him a chance to show off his leaping, boys like that sort of thing, and we won't be held back by our little limb problem," said Mrs. Potts, gesturing with her snout at a certain lack of legs in the assemblage.

"Aren't you worried about the Prince finding out about the party early?" said Chip, trying to get a good vantage point to watch Chapeau finishing up the streamers.

"Non, he hasn't left his room in days. It is the perfect crime," said Lumiere.

"In days?" said Mrs. Potts with a deep frown.

"Oui. He is eating the food we leave! Just, you know, inside. This party will brighten him right up!" Lumiere flared his fire at that, looking proudly at the decorated ballroom. "Do we have chalk to make the jumping squares for escargot?"

"Chip, dear, why don't you go fetch that?" asked Mrs. Potts. 

Once Chip had ridden off on Sultan, she turned on Lumiere. "You could have just said _that_ was why you were so set on a party! You would have gotten everyone to say yes!"

"Madame, it is not right to rule by guilt," said Lumiere. "Besides, Monsieur Cogsworth would rather it did not become castle gossip."

"Everything was gossip once. Now it's just… us in all our places, passing the time away as objects," said Mrs Potts sadly. "The decorations are lovely, Lumiere. I'll continue planning the party." 

"_Merci_, Madame," said Lumiere. "I think… the Prince shall enjoy this. An appropriate girl will probably not miraculously arrive in the winter's night during the party and solve all our problems, but at least he will play, hm?"

Mrs. Potts nodded. "It's been too long."

"_Oui_! Come! Let's continue!" said Lumiere, hopping off to find the best spot for the escargot. By mutual agreement with Mrs. Potts, the ballroom floor could stand a few chalk stains. If it would make the Prince happy, he could run and leap all over. 

Cogsworth would surely understand!

***

The party almost did not happen, in the end. Lumiere had greatly overestimated his ability to lure the young Prince out of his room.

"Go away!" the Prince had said. "I'm just a Beast, and Beasts don't get birthdays!"

"Then be a Prince for at least another day!" declared Lumiere, "because we have already baked a cake!"

Mrs. Potts joined in. "Dear, we even have lots of the grey stuff! And everyone's so hoping to see you."

Eventually the door opened. 

His fur was draggled, his horns unpolished. His clothes were ragged.

"Grey stuff? Really?" he said.

"_Vraiment_," said Lumiere. "Come. At least let yourself enjoy a bit of light?"

The Prince nodded slowly.

"We don't know what the future holds, dear," said Mrs. Potts, "but we do know that downstairs is ready for a celebration, and that's the truth."

The Prince hesitated, wringing his paws. 

And then he nodded.

Bright winter sun filtered in through the ballroom windows as the castle played for the Prince's birthday. 

Cogsworth even gave Lumiere a quiet thank you.


End file.
